Sharing the 630m Amateur Band
With The Coast Guard

VE7CNF July, 2026

Introduction

In Canada, the Amateur 630m band (472-479 kHz) allocation is shared with the Maritime Mobile service. A few years ago, when Canada’s RBR-4 (ref 2) was updated, Canadian amateurs were limited to a 1 kHz signal bandwidth on the 630 m band. Other jurisdictions (USA, Australia) are allowed wider signal bandwidths to support SSB and faster data modes. The reason given for the 1 kHz limit was that we might cause interference to Marine Mobile services. I didn’t follow the logic, so I’ve looked into it a bit.

The Canadian Coast Guard still keeps licenses for CW telegraphy on 478 KHz, and AM telegraphy on 500 kHz, at Amphitrite Point, B.C. These are inactive legacy licenses, since ship-to-shore telegraphy has not been used for many years.

Adoption of the international “Global Maritime Distress and Safety System” (GMDSS) on Feb 1, 1999 removed the requirement for ship-to-shore telegraphy (ref 5). Officially, on July 28, 1999, the Canadian Coast Guard stopped the watch on 500 KHz (ref 6), but some monitoring continued in the arctic for a couple more years.

Canada’s active marine radio services are listed in “Radio Aids to Marine Navigation 2026” (ref 4). The only current service listed below 2 MHz is NAVTEX (FSK teleprinter broadcast) on 490 and 518 kHz. The United States Coast Guard broadcasts NAXTEX on 518 kHz.

The GMDSS supports MF/HF radiotelephone channels with “Digital Selective Calling” (DSC), where MF in the marine context refers to the 2-4 MHz range and HF to the 4-30 MHz range (ref 5). All marine radiotelephone channels in Canada and the USA are above 2 MHz.

A new NAVDAT digital data service is in development, to become part of the GMDSS, that will use 495 to 505 kHz and frequencies above 2 MHz. In Canada there are frequency allocations but no active licenses for this service.

Radio Amateurs in Southwest BC did a test on March 12, 2026 and verified that their 630m CW signals can be heard near Amphitrite Point. This shows that there would be a potential for interference if any active Marine services existed in the 472-479 kHz range.

Since there are no active Marine services within the Amateur 630m band, Canadian Amateurs can operate freely through the band. We are limited to 1 kHz for now, although the bandwidth of our signal should not be a concern as long as we limit intermodulation and other spurious outputs. We must ensure that our equipment does not cause interference to Marine services on 490, 500, and 518 kHz.

Amateur 630m Band in Canada

In Canada the Amateur 630m band covers 472-479 kHz with an allowed signal bandwidth of 1 kHz and power up to 5W EIRP (ref 2). It is open to operators with Basic with Morse Code, Basic with Honours, and Advanced qualifications.

The Amateur 472 – 479 kHz allocation is shared with the Maritime Mobile service. The following excerpts from the Canadian “Table of Frequency Allocations” (ref 1) show the Amateur allocation and adjacent maritime mobile MF allocations:

415 – 472 kHz MARITIME MOBILE 5.79
5.82

472 - 479                      MARITIME MOBILE 5.79 (radiotelegraphy and NAVDAT)
                                        Amateur 5.80A (5W EIRP maximum)
                                        5.82 (no harmful interference to 490 kHz)

479 - 495 MARITIME MOBILE 5.79 5.79A
5.82

495 - 505 MARITIME MOBILE 5.82C (NAVDAT)

A search of the ISED Spectrum Management System (ref 3) shows that the only Canadian licenses in the 472 – 479 KHz range are held by the Canadian Coast Guard for Amphitrite Point, BC.

Amphitrite Point Coast Guard Station

Following is a summary of the MF and HF station licenses for Amphitrite Point, BC as of June, 2026 (ref 3). The Canadian “Radio Aids to Marine Navigation 2026” (ref 4) does not list any currently active services on the frequencies of these licenses. British Columbia Amateurs have not reported hearing Coast Guard activity on 478 or 500 kHz. These appear to be inactive legacy licenses.

All licenses listed below share this common information:

Callsign                                         XLK835
Location                                       48.925N 125.54638889W (in the water W of Amphitrite Point)
Operating Range                      20 km
License In-Service Date         2024-08-07
Operational Status                  nil
Licensee                                      Fisheries and Oceans Canada - Canadian Coast Guard
                                                        9860 West Saanich Road, IOS Room 2610,Sidney,BC,V8L 4B2
                                                        Account Number 013080000490

478 KHz CW Telegraphy License

Frequency          478 KHz, record ID 1372587 (Rx) 1372588 (Tx)
Emission              100 Hz bandwidth CW telegraphy for aural reception, 100HA1AAN
Tx Power             1000W, ERP 543W 27.35 dBW
Antenna              Gain 0.9984 dBi, vertical polarization, height 10m

500 KHz AM Telegraphy License

Frequency          500 KHz, record ID 1372587 (Rx) 1372588 (Tx)
Emission              2.1 KHz bandwidth AM telegraphy for aural reception, 2K10A2AAN
Tx Power             4000W, ERP 2173W 33.37 dBW
Antenna              Gain 0.9984 dBi, vertical polarization, height 10m

2-4 MHz HF SSB Telephony Licenses

Frequency          2.0554 MHz, record ID 1372575 (Rx), 1372574 (Tx)
                                2.1049 MHZ, record ID 1372576 (Rx), 1372577 (Tx)
                                2.1834 MHz, record ID 1372582 (Rx), 1372583 (Tx)
                                2.3414 MHz, record ID 1372578 (Rx)
                                2.4594 MHz, record ID 1372579 (Tx)
                                4.1264 MHz, record ID 1372584 (Rx), 1372585 (Tx)
Emission              2.8 kHz SSB Telephony suppressed carrier, 2K80J3EJN
Tx Power             100W, ERP 61W 17.85 dBi
Antenna              Gain 0.9984 dBi, vertical polarization, height 9m

There is a pending license application for a 518 kHz NAVTEX transmitter at Amphitrite Point, with different antenna specifications from the 478 and 500 KHz licenses.

518 KHz NAVTEX License (Pending)

Frequency                  518 KHz, record ID 2456260 (Tx)
Emission                      170 Hz bandwidth FSK TTY NAVTEX, 170HF1BCN
Tx Power                     1000W, ERP 316W 25 dBW
Antenna                      Gain 2.1484 dBi, vertical polarization, height 20m
Callsign                         CFAPX
Location                       48.92505278N 125.54281111W
Operating Range      555 km
In-Service Date         2026-04-01
Status                           Not Granted (July 2026)

The Amphitrite Point is probably managed by the Coast Guard’s Western Region Office (ref 4):

Regional Superintendent
Marine Communications and Traffic Services
Canadian Coast Guard
Institute of Ocean Sciences
9860 West Saanich Road
Sidney, BC V8L 5T5
Telephone: 250-363-8904 (Regional Administrative Assistant)
Email: [email protected]

Antennas at Amphitrite Point (March 2026)

The above licenses for Amphitrite Point all list the antenna “model” as “long wire.” However, the antenna specifications (front/back ratio 0 dB, polarization vertical) don’t fit with my understanding of a “long wire” antenna. Four vertical antenna towers were observed at Amphitrite Point in March, 2026. Two have wire cages, which are usually used to increase the antenna bandwidth.

Antenna tower names below indicate where I took the photos from, and have no other meaning.

Amphitrite Point, BC (48.923N 125.541W). A hiking trail passes near the antenna towers.

Tower 1.

Tower 2A.

Tower 2B.

Tower 3.
The location given for the pending 518 KHz NAVTEX license is very near this tower.

Amateur Signal Reception near Amphitrite Point

Reception of Amateur 630m signals near Amphitrite Point was tested after dark, around 8 pm, on March 12, 2026. Received signals were strong enough to cause interference to Coast Guard operation, if any such operation existed in the 630m band. In the Amateur spirit, transmitter powers are best estimates and the receiver sensitivity was not calibrated, so results are qualitative.

Transmitting stations were VE7SL (Mayne Is, 1W EIRP), VE7CA (North Vancouver, 5W EIRP), and VA7MM (Port Coquitlam, 5W EIRP). Signals were CW telegraphy on 473 kHz. There was no Amateur transmitting equipment used near Amphitrite Point.

The receiving location (48.9495N 125.5592W) was 3 km NNW of the Amphitrite Point antenna field, away from power lines and structures and near the water. The receiving antenna was a 128 cm long E-field whip on top of a vehicle, with an antenna preamplifier feeding a Yaesu FT817 receiver. Receiver gain was set to give an S1 noise level with receiver bandwidth set for SSB (approx 2.8 kHz).

CW signals were received from all transmitters at S5 to S8 levels, with slow fading noted. Copy was solid and the SNR was easily sufficient for a QSO.

References

User-friendly online search tools for this database are available at:
https://tafl.mckie.ca/
https://tafl.jonathanmorgan.net/

To decode the “emission class” field, refer to:
https://ised-isde.canada.ca/site/spectrum-management-telecommunications/en/devices-and-equipment/telecom-regulation-circulars-trc/trc-43-designation-emissions-class-station-and-nature-service

Reference (4) Radio Aids to Marine Navigation

Canadian Coast Guard. (2026). Radio Aids to Marine Navigation 2026.
https://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2026/mpo-dfo/Fs151-18-2026-eng.pdf

Reference (5) GMDSS

Canadian Coast Guard. (2025 Dec 19). Global Maritime Distress and Safety System.
https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-coast-guard/services/search-rescue/global-maritime-distress-safety-system.html

“The international Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) uses improved terrestrial and satellite technology and onboard radio systems. It was implemented globally on February 1, 1999.”

Reference (6) LAST CW MESSAGE

MacFarlane J, Fullerton W, Roscoe S. (2010 Dec 7). THE LAST CW MESSAGE SENT BY THE CANADIAN COAST GUARD. Jerry Proc Reading Room (Radio Stories)
http://jproc.ca/radiostor/ccgmsg.html

“Officially, on July 28 1999, the Canadian Coast Guard stopped the watch on 500 KHz.”

“The Coast Guard continued the monitoring of 500 KHz and MF CW from two stations in the Arctic but only until such time that [sic] GMDSS was implemented world wide. Around 2000 or 2001 these CW services were terminated for good and without any fanfare or ceremony.”